Real Chics, Real Food: Pretty Toni's Cafe

Pretty Toni's Cafe is a super chic restaurant located in Valley Stream, NY. We fell in love at the very first bite. This is a place that I passed almost daily, but never got a chance to try so one night Amber and I stopped in for a quick bite.

Pretty Toni's Cafe claims that this is where elegance meets soul, and I could not agree more. The restaurant only seats a maximum of about 30 people, but that night Amber and I were the only ones in the restaurant besides the cook and the hostess. Not only did we receive great service, but the food was amazing. Our meal began with a basket of cornbread that was perfectly sweet and warm. The butter melted off the bread, like you can see in the picture above. It was so good, that we had to order another basket before the food came. The corn bread pieces are only about 2x2, so you know we finished the first batch quickly!


We decided to just order appetizers and sides so we could try out more things on the menu, so above you will see fried chicken wings, cajun salmon cakes, sweet potato fries, and macaroni n' cheese. Amber also ordered a side of yams (not pictured, but just as delish as the ones pictures). As you can see, most of our food was fried in some shape or form BUT it was not greasy. You could easily pick up a chicken wing without your hand looking like you stuck it in pure oil. The chicken wings had a crunchy exterior and were paired with a sweet barbecue sauce for dipping. The cajun salmon cakes had just enough bite to add some flavor to the salmon meat. However, I will be honest and say that I prefer mine to be a bit more crispy but they were still very good. 


Now for the sides of sweet potato fries and mac n' cheese. For the first time in a long time, I was able to experience sweet potato fries that could really hold their own against a regular white potato fry. They were crispy and held their form. Most of the time sweet potato fries are a little droopy. The mac n' cheese had just enough cheese and speckles of black pepper to make it a bit classier than your usual dish at the local soul food spot.


Overall, it was a great evening. If you are ever near Valley Stream, NY, I suggest that you come on out to Pretty Toni's Cafe! They even offer takeout and catering. (I've also ordered the jerk wings with mango and pineapple salsa via takeout which were just as amazing as the fried ones.) I may even be using them to cater my rehearsal dinner in August!